Dallas County Reports 331 COVID-19 Cases, No Additional Deaths

As local officials monitor rising COVID-19 infections and hospitalizations and early voting continues, here’s what you need to know today:

• Dallas County reports 331 COVID-19 cases, no additional deaths;
• Early voting continues in Dallas County;
• Love Field hosting community meeting.

Dallas County Reports 331 COVID-19 Cases, No Additional Deaths

Dallas County Health and Human Services Monday reported 382 additional cases of COVID-19 for a cumulative total of 90,318 confirmed cases (PCR test), including 1,085 confirmed deaths.  

Of the 331 new confirmed cases reported Monday, 263 came through the Texas Department of State Health Services’ (DSHS) electronic laboratory reporting (ELR) system, and two are from older months. 

There were 51 additional probable cases (antigen test) reported Monday for a total of 4,631 probable cases including 13 probable deaths. 

“We’re seeing an increase in COVID-19 cases in our hospitals and in positive testing and now is a critical time for us to get the numbers going back in the right direction,” said Dallas County Judge Clay Jenkins. “We know what we need to do, we just need to do it. Wear your mask and avoid crowds. Maintain six-foot distancing and use good hand-washing practices. It’s up to all of us to flatten the curve and the best way to do that is to follow the advice of doctors that can be found at www.DallasCountyCOVID.org.”

No additional deaths were reported Monday.

A provisional total of 390 confirmed and probable COVID-19 cases were diagnosed in school-aged children between 5 and 17 years of age during the week ending Oct. 10, an increase of 32% from the previous week in this age group. 

In the county’s Oct. 16 aggregate report, the county broke down confirmed and probable cases for children ages 5 to 17 by city. Highland Park reported one case the week ending Sept. 5, three the week ending Sept. 19, three the week ending Sept. 26, two the week ending Oct. 3, and one the week ending Oct. 10. Dallas reported 93 the week ending Sept. 5, 62 the week ending Sept. 12, 104 the week ending Sept. 19, 96 the week ending Sept. 26, 125 the week ending Oct. 3, and 186 the week ending Oct. 10.

For the week ending Oct. 13, the state Texas Education Agency reported that 9.719 students tested positive for COVID-19, and 6,454 staff members.

Of all confirmed cases requiring hospitalization to date, more than two-thirds have been under 65 years of age. 

The percentage of respiratory specimens testing positive for the virus that causes COVID-19 increased to 12.6% of symptomatic patients presenting to area hospitals testing positive in the week ending Oct. 10.

Diabetes has been an underlying high-risk health condition reported in about a third of all hospitalized patients with COVID-19. Of the total confirmed deaths reported to date, about 24% have been associated with long-term care facilities.  

UT Southwestern Medical Center reports hospitalizations are on the rise in North Texas and the average volume from the past week was 77% higher than the most recent weekly average low 26 days ago and 85% higher than the average volume in May.

UTSW’s model projects total COVID-19 hospitalizations could increase to between 380 and 690 concurrent hospitalized cases by Oct. 30, and roughly 1,000 new COVID-19 infections are expected by Oct. 30.

Early Voting Continues In Dallas County

Dallas County Judge Clay Jenkins tweeted that 47,328 voted Monday for a total of 344,081 votes cast so far during early voting. Early voting lasts until Oct. 30. 

Final number today 47,328. Total 344,081 so far. pic.twitter.com/xql6oNEeX5

— Clay Jenkins (@JudgeClayJ) October 20, 2020

Love Field Hosting Community Meeting

Dallas Love Field is hosting its quarterly Good Neighbor Program community meeting at 6 p.m. Oct. 22. To adhere to continued social distancing guidelines, the meeting will be conducted virtually. Registration is available here.

Be advised that the ClickMeeting platform is not compatible with Internet Explorer. Google Chrome is recommended, but Mozilla Firefox or Safari are also compatible.

The meeting can be accessed via a computer, iPad, iPhone, Android or other smart device. The ClickMeeting Webinar app can be downloaded for free from the App Store or Google Play Store, but it is not necessary to view the meeting.

Attendees may also dial-in for audio only. Dial-in information is below.

For questions or registration issues, email [email protected] or call 214-670-5683 during normal business hours.

The dial-in number (audio only) is 1-832-706-2490 and the PIN is 875449577#